Background Module 2

Question 1

In the context of goal-directedness/habits, with what is the notion that “craving drives instrumental drug-seeking behaviour” in line with?

Answer 1

That drug seeking is goal-directed & that the brain of addicts is more sensitive to the rewarding value of substances

Question 2

What empirical support is there (simply) for drug-seeking being goal-directed?

Answer 2

Drug use associated with:
- Positive subjective experience of the drug
- Positive expectations
- Willingness to pay for it
- Addicts work harder for drug rewards than non-addicts

Question 3

Within the goal-directed drug seeking framework, how can substance abuse be measured?

Answer 3

Goal conflict:
- E.g., positive short-term goal of drug’s rush that overshadows the long-term goal of health

Question 4

What is the habit account of drug seeking?

Answer 4

It initially starts out as goal-directed, but becomes increasingly driven by aberrantly strong habits (Law of effect + dual-process theories S-R habits)

Question 5

What three ideas are central to the habit theory of addiction?

Answer 5

1. There are individual differences in the tendency to form dominant habits
2. Drugs are extremely strong reinforcers of S-R habits
3. Drugs lead to structural changes in the brain, that lead to a generally stronger tendency to rely on habitual control

Question 6

Why is the critical test phase (i.e., return to Skinner box) carried out in extinction? expl.

Answer 6

Ohterwise no distinction can be made between goal-directed & habitual behaviour:
- Habits are strengthened when a response is followed by a reward (& weakened by no reward or aversive outcome): thus S-R association would weaken
- So is the behaviour goal-directed or habit learning?
- Extinction: If rat immediately (no further learning opportunity!!) adjusts behaviour = goal-directed

Question 7

Drawback of extinction (in the context of exp. paradigm)? Solution?

Answer 7

Behaviour will extinguish, so they are kept short

Question 8

Dual-process model in the context of addiction?

Answer 8

Substance abuse result of two disrupted processes:
- Reinforced, bottom-up automatic/reflexive/impulsive processes
- Weakened top-down cognitive/reflective/executive functions

i.e., impaired cognitive control can lead to a fall back on habits.

Question 9

Generally speaking, what is classified under bottom-up processes (2) & what is under top-down (2-ish)?

Answer 9

Bottom-up:
- Pavlovian conditioning
- Instrumental habits

Top-down:
- Goal-directed control
- Cognitive/executive control functions